


Like Romeo and Juliet, But Better

by Bugzyboi



Series: Prompt Fills [1]
Category: Doctor Strange (2016), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: 60's AU, Alternate Universe - 1960s, Drinking, Gang Violence, If You Squint - Freeform, Implied/Referenced Underage Drinking, John Mulaney References, M/M, Mentions of Steve Rogers - Freeform, Period Typical Attitudes, Period-Typical Homophobia, Polari, Prompt Fill, Secret Relationship, Secret language, Smoking, Tumblr Prompt, dont answer that, look its the 60s, mentions of Bucky - Freeform, oh yeah, okay but who WASNT drinking/smoking in the 60s, street gangs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-24
Updated: 2019-09-24
Packaged: 2020-10-27 13:10:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,272
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20760887
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bugzyboi/pseuds/Bugzyboi
Summary: Based off the prompt by @Ironstrangeprompts on Tumblr!Prompt #364:It's the 1960's, Stephen is getting ready to have a rumble at the parking lot with his gang. Tony is apart of the other gang.Suggested by Anonymous





	Like Romeo and Juliet, But Better

Tony Stark. Genius Prodigy. Son of Howard and Maria Stark (deceased). Leader of the Iron League, one of the most prominent gangs in New York City. Tony _ could _ have gone into something like mechanical engineering, sure. 

But instead, he makes his living in murder. And drugs. Mostly Marijuana, though. 

This wasn’t exactly the life he had planned out -_ read mechanical engineering _\- but he saw the papers and he overheard the hushed conversations. Howard Stark had debts due he couldn’t pay (the irony in that statement made Tony laugh something bitter). Howard and Maria Stark were shot in their car on the way to a Broadway production. Everyone suspected it had to do with gang violence but the official reports declared the Starks’ death as an impulsive hit-and-run shooting. Tony knew better than that. 

Howard’s unpaid dues fell on Tony’s shoulders. Thousands of dollars given out of fear, covering up trails of deals, withholding information about missing person reports about business partners. Eventually, he grew dull of the pain of guilt and climbed the ranks of one of the gangs his father paid dues to- the Iron League. 

Obidiah Stane was the leader of the Iron League before his abrupt passing. After Howard’s death, Obidiah began to flood Stark Industries (his father’s business) with some of his minions. When Tony found out, he wrung out the filth and set a plan of action with his closest companions and, to this day, best friends- James “Rhodey” Rhodes (Only Tony was allowed to call him Rhodey) and Virginia “Pepper” Potts. Obidiah Stane was found dead after an explosive car accident outside of New York a few days later. Tony refused to give any statements about the “accident” to the authorities.

The gang was one of the bigger ones of New York. What they didn’t have in numbers, they had in brains. Tony didn’t just take in _ anyone _. The people in his closest circle (Pepper, Rhodey, Peter, etc.) even outsmarted him sometimes (more than he liked to admit). 

One of the other biggest gangs had started hitting hard on some of their buyers. Sure, the Iron League was big, but it wasn’t as big as Hydra. 

Hydra was huge. Problem was, they only had a few intellectuals in them. Most of Hydra was filled to the brim with idiots. They were big in numbers and almost nonexistent in smarts. 

Other gangs controlled New York too besides Hydra and the Iron League. There’s the Vishanti. They were competent. Not quite as brutal as Hydra but their members were smart. The Vishanti could be brutal, though (He saw what the chum of the group end up looking like if they decide to drop out). The Howling Commandos were a strong gang. Their leader, James “Bucky” Barnes, knew what he was doing. Bucky was close to Chief of the New York City Police, Steve “Cap” Rogers.

The Zealots were what Tony liked to call the “Rejected Vishanti”. They were a gang of the rejected Vishanti members that the Vishanti decided against killing. They didn’t do much but low crimes and promise empty threats. 

Tony let out a heavy sigh and slammed his gun down on his desk. The reports were right about the damn Hydra attack near the docs. Peter Parker jumped in his seat from the sudden noise. 

Peter wasn’t part of the gang- the kid was too good for it. But Tony was close to him. He trusted Peter with his life, which was terrifying if he thought about it. Tony could count on his hand how many people he trusted so much. Peter, Pepper, Rhodey, and Happy. 

Rhodey was his ride-or-die- his partner in crime- his best friend. Pepper was his other best friend- she covered his tracks and could kill a man with a glance. Peter went from a kid he’d occasionally pass on the street to his pseudo-child-little-brother figure. Happy’s been his bodyguard since before Howard died (They became a lot closer after the crash). Tony couldn’t ask for a better group of people to trust.

“Is everything alright, Mister Stark?” Peter asked from the opposite side of his office. The kid was hunched over a textbook, glasses an inch from falling off his nose. He looked up from his book and shifted in his seat.

“‘M fine, bud,” Tony sighed as he poured more coffee into his mug. He looked down at the discarded liquor bottle and shrugged. He poured the alcohol in his mug until it filled the brim. 

“You thirsty?” Tony asked as he set the bottle on the edge of his desk. Peter shrugged and continued his homework. Tony shrugged and sipped from the rim of the mug, not daring to pick the mug up. 

“Shouldn’t you be in school?” Tony asked after a few more sips. He picked the mug off his desk, confident that it wouldn’t spill over. 

“Shouldn’t you be working?” Peter quipped with a wide grin, seconds from laughing. Tony grabbed a pencil and flung it at Peter’s head.

“Aight, hotshot. How about you go give this report to the broad with the dog, huh? She should be downstairs.” He nudged a folder towards Peter, who rolled his eyes and gave an exaggerated sigh. 

“Okaaaay,” Peter got up from his seat and ran a hand through his curls. The product that kept his curls down stuck to his fingers but he rubbed the product off on his shorts. He grabbed the folder and trudged out of the office.

“‘Atta boy, Parker!” Tony took one last sip of his alcoholic coffee before getting up from his desk. He opened his desk drawer and shuffled around with a grunt. 

“Whatcha looking for, Tones?” 

“I think I lost a pack,” Tony grumbled. He looked up at Rhodey, who had his arms crossed against his chest. “You got any on you?” 

Rhodey patted his pants for a minute before stopping when he came to his back pockets. He pulled out a pack of cigarettes and checked the inside. Rhodey pulled out a cigarette. 

“Lucky, I got one left,” Rhodey threw the empty box into a nearby bin. Tony grinned as he got up from his crouching position. 

Rhodey pulled out a lighter and lit the cigarette before putting it in his mouth. 

“You _ traitor _,” Tony gasped as he grabbed his wallet. “I’m going out. I’ll be over at the lot later.”

Tony grabbed his leather jacket and pulled it on. He was wearing a tank top and, to be honest, he didn’t feel like showing his colors. His colors being his tattoo. The members of the Iron League had their symbol tattooed on heir upper body. Tony’s was on his shoulder. The tattoo was of a gavel-looking hammer inside a circle border. It was simple. 

“You better not be late again!” Rhodey called out as Tony made his way out the door. Tony grinned as the door slammed shut. 

He had almost forgotten about the fight. He remembered the numbers- that’s all he could count on. Numbers kept him steady. Their numbers went down because of a miscommunication that took a bad turn last night. The Vishantis killed a couple of their guys as payback. 

But first, coffee and a pack of cigs. Oh, and Pepper wanted him to grab those weird chocolate balls for her. 

Tony opened the door of the shop after a few blocks of walking and shuffled in. The shopkeeper was a wary-looking elderly woman. Her eyes widened when they met with Tony’s honey-colored eyes. If Tony had to take a guess as to why the woman looked at him like he just shot her entire family, he had to guess it was the fact he even _ looked _ like he was part of a gang. He just smirked and turned to look around the shop. 

The cigarettes were easy to find- he could pick them up from the front when he was at the counter. He’d get the chocolate balls later. Coffee next. He glanced around and found a coffee-making area at the back.

Tony grabbed a cup and began making his drink before the front doorbell quietly chimed. He turned to look at the man that entered the shop. 

The man was tall- _ taller than most tall people, _ Tony noted. Though, Tony was pretty short for a guy, as Pepper enjoyed pointing out from time to time. Black hair greased down with white strands hiding on the man’s side. His cheekbones could kill a man. Tony took notice of the strange nerd/jock clothing- button-up shirt with a thick sweater. _ Nice- wait- does he like…Is he gay..? _

Tony finished making the coffee and popped a cup cap on the top before making his way to the counter. The man was scanning the chips before his eyes landed on Tony. He looked Tony up and down before raising an eyebrow. Something about that look made Tony extremely uncomfortable-...in a good way. 

Well, now or never.

“Could you grab me a box, Dolly?” 

The man raised his eyebrows in surprise before his lips curled into a smile. He grabbed a pack of cigarettes from a stand next to him and tossed it to Tony. 

“Dolly? When you’ve got thews like that?” The man scanned Tony’s reaction. When Tony couldn’t help but give him a surprised smile, he smirked. “Stephen Strange.”

Tony gave a small wave. “Tony Stark.” 

Stephen raised his eyebrows. 

Tony took a sip of his unpaid coffee, “Heard of me?”’ 

Stephen shrugged, “More ways than one. Guess I won’t get to see those lalllies go on a troll of trade for myself, huh?” 

Tony choked on his coffee._ Talk about subtlety. _

“Sir, if you’re going to make _ and drink _ that coffee in here, I hope you better plan on paying for it,” The shopwoman called out to the two. 

Tony huffed and wiped the coffee from his chin, ignoring the obvious blush that burned on his face. “Yes, ma’am.” 

He gave the woman a couple of bucks and that’s when he saw it. The tattoo.

_ That tattoo. _

The Vishanti gang tattoo. Right on Stephen’s lower neck. It was almost hidden under Stephe’s shirt collar, but Tony could see the lines. Tony began a long, frustrating chain of swears in his head. It was hard to find another man like him-_ let alone an attractive one. _

_ Like Romeo and Juliet. But Romeo didn’t know Juliet knew he was a Montague. _

Tony thanked the shopkeeper and headed out the door, Stephen following him out. Tony hoped Stephen wasn’t going to the parking lot- he’d hate to have to beat in such a pretty face. He wasn’t even sure if he’d be able to. 

“I can’t be seen with you.” 

Tony turned to look at Stephen, who had stopped walking a few feet from the shop entrance.

“Hate to be been by my ugly mug, Stephanie? Come on now, my rep ain’t that bad!” 

Stephen took a deep breath and glanced around before dragging Tony by his sleeve into a nearby alley. 

Stephen grabbed the front of Tony’s jacket-_ oh fuck, that’s hot _ \- and slammed him against the brick wall- _ Oh fuck. _

Tony let out a scoff as his coffee fell out of his hands. Thank God for strong cup lids. Physics said the coffee cup was supposed to open and spill everywhere- but Tony wasn’t complaining. The coffee cup lay on its side near the garbage can. 

“You already know why,” Stephen gritted and pushed Tony against the wall harder. “You could understand me. What I was saying in the shop.” 

"Y-You're gonna get shot for this if someone finds you," Tony gasped, pushing up from Stephen's leg. He really didn’t need any more pressure towards that area. Getting hard against a hot stranger is not how he wanted this to go. 

“Well, they can shoot me all they want, fate might be on my side for once,” Tony furrowed his eyebrows at that. Something about the darkened look in Stephen’s eyes didn’t sit right with him. Sure, Tony’s seen others walk with death and even he’s looked death in the eyes a few times- but it felt wrong to have Stephen do that. 

It sounded cliche- and totally was. But, what about Romeo and Juliet? They loved each other after, what, one night? Look how well they turned out. 

Dead. But that’s not the point. 

Tony took a quick glance around to make sure no one was around before grabbing Stephen’s neck. Before Stephen could react, Tony smashed their lips together. Stephen let out a noise of surprise and pulled back after a few seconds. 

“You’re an idiot,” Stephen hissed and dropped Tony on the ground with a thud. Tony let out a shout as his back crashed into the cement. 

“Dick,” Tony groaned. He grabbed his unspilled coffee up and got up from the ground slowly. “What was that for?”

Stephen looked at him incredulously, “What was _ that _ for?!” 

“You’re givin’ me mixed signals, buddy,” Tony huffed and took a sip of his drink. “First you compliment...me,” Tony coughed but continued, “And assist me with my dream of being crushed against the wall. And then it _ really _ looked like you were looking for a bit of necking-” 

Stephen grabbed a nearby newspaper and threw it at Tony’s head. Tony ducked in time for it to hit the wall behind him. 

“I’m just saying!” Tony put a hand on his hip and took a long gup of the rest of his coffee. He threw the empty cup into the nearby garbage can. 

Stephen crossed his arms and ran his hands through his hair. _ This could not be happening. Tony fucking Stark just tried to make out in a _ ** _public_ ** _ alley. _

“What about the whole getting shot thing?!” Stephen exasperated, throwing his hands in the air. Tony shrugged. 

“The whole shoving me into a wall didn’t really help the ‘I don’t want to get shot’ aesthetic,” Tony pointed out. 

“I freaked out!” Stephen yelled, not particularly caring who heard his outburst. “Look- I just- I don’t know what I was thinking- I, uh- I’ve gotta go. I’ve got this meeting-” 

“Yeah, I know. I saw the tattoo. Looks pretty fresh- what, couple days old?” Tony stepped closer to Stephen and tilted his head to the side. “What made you want to join the Vishanti?” 

Stephen’s breath hitched and unconsciously fixed his shirt collar. 

“Partially a threat against my life and I needed the money,” Stephen shrugged, shifting his weight on his feet awkwardly. “Why?” 

Tony shrugged, “Because I’m going to the lot. You wanna walk with me?”

Stephen looked as if he was trying to wait for some punchline. “Are you serious? I’m going to get killed by association.” 

Tony bit the inside of his mouth, “Let’s walk.” 

Stephen had so many questions but he followed Tony out of the alley nevertheless. They walked for a few minutes until Tony spoke up. 

“Do you want to get out?” Tony asked, breaking the silence between them. 

Stephen glanced around before looking back at Tony. “Honestly? Every day. But I can’t find an exit. I’m in too deep.” 

“I could make you a door if you wanted,” Tony suggested.

Stephen stopped walking at stared at Tony. Intense eyes scanned Tony for some kind of catch to the deal. “Seriously?” 

“Yeah. C’mon, man, let’s keep walking. Now- how long have you been in? A week? Month?” 

“Couple months. Wasn’t official until a few days ago.” Stephen muttered and looked down at his hands. Tony glanced down and- _ how the heck have I not noticed until now. _

Long scars ran down from some of Stephen’s fingers to down to his wrists on each hand. _ Initiation _, Tony thought. Most gangs did some sort of initiate to prove your loyalty. He didn’t really look into how harsh some of the initiations could be. It really was just power play for intimidation. The scars couldn’t be more than a month old. 

Tony grimaced at the images playing through his head. The scars weren’t were what made Tony grimace- it was the story behind them. The scars just proved how strong Stephen was. 

“I dropped out of school, y’ know,” Stephen said as he ran a trembling finger down one of the scars. “I was going to be a surgeon. Sometimes I can control the shaking to a minimum.” 

“What do you do now?” Tony asked warily. “I-If you’re comfortable with me asking.” 

Stephen bent down and picked up an empty fast food basket he almost stepped in. He huffed and threw it in a trashcan nearby. He thought about Tony’s question and shrugged. 

“Sell. Do whatever the Vishantis want me to. Most of the time I just try to patch up the kids that’ll let me help them.” Stephen jumped back to Tony’s side as they continued their walk to the parking lot.

“You got the names of them that did that?” Tony asked, trying to maintain a calm voice. All Tony wanted to do was pick Stephen up from his troubles and run off. He knew he couldn’t do that, but he’d try to do the closest without being a creep. 

Why was he doing this? He just met Stephen not even an hour ago. Tony shrugged the thought away. Rhodey told him he trusted too easily. His compassion was one of his strongest traits but it was also his worst.

“I know their faces. I don’t really see most of them much.” 

“So, you want to leave, right? I could help,” Tony suggested with a shrug. Stephen furrowed his eyebrows. 

“How?” Stephen asked in an uneasy tone. 

“I’m going to tell you something and you gotta promise not to tell anyone. I might have to kill ya,” Tony winked. Stephen rolled his eyes but came closer to Tony. “I’ve got eyes everywhere. If you wanted out, it wouldn’t take more than a week to get you outta there with minimal injury- if any. Whaddya say. Stephanie?” 

Stephen’s eyes grew wide and he nodded. He really hoped the nickname wouldn’t stick. “I’d say if we weren’t in the middle of the street, I’d kiss you.” 

Tony raised his eyebrows as his lips quirked into a wide smile. “You have such a way with words, Strange,” Tony said with a laugh.

The parking lot was in view and both men stopped walking. 

“Alright you go in first and I’ll come in later- don’t worry ‘bout me. Just- whatever I do, I want you to know I’m doing it because I have to. And I’m sorry if you get hurt in the process.” 

“Sounds like you’re apologizing because you’re about to kill me,” Stephen let out a small laugh but it was too bitter for Tony’s taste. “I understand. Do whatever you need to.” 

Tony turned the corner and watched Stephen walk to the parking lot. He debated the pros and cons of bringing Stephen into the Iron League. He didn’t trust the man fully- of course, they just met- but they’d get there. He’s not backing out of it, but he’s trying to list all the possible reasons Rhodey and Pepper might get upset. 

After enough thinking, he made his way to the parking lot. Only a couple cars were in the lot. Two groups of people stood in the parking lot. On one side the Vishanti stood. There couldn’t have been more than fifteen huddled together. The other side of the parking lot stood some members of the Iron League. Tony ran over to where Rhodey was. 

“Rhodey!” Tony cheered and gave the other man a one-armed hug. “What’d I miss?” 

Rhodey rolled his eyes and removed Tony from his side. Tony stripped himself from his leather jacket while Rhodey took a quick look around. The Iron League had around the same amount of people as the Vishanti. 

Tony reached behind Rhodey and pulled a few rounds out of his back pocket before stashing them in his pocket. His handgun was hidden away under the waist of his pants. He never left without it. If he did, he had a different weapon with him. 

“Ready?” One of the members asked him. Tony couldn’t remember his name- call him a bad gang leader, but he couldn’t keep track of the countless gang members he controlled. Tony just nodded and stepped forward. 

“Alright, listen,” Tony called out as he began walking towards the middle of the parking lot. “I really just get back to my place and enjoy the rest of the night, y’know? And I just washed my hands- I don’t want to get them dirty again.” Tony looked from the Iron League to the Vishanti with a wide grin. “So, what about it?” 

Everyone in the parking lot was silent. Members from the Iron League gave each other looks as they tried to figure out what Tony was planning because _ this isn’t what was planned. _ Meanwhile, the upper Vishanti members quietly talked to themselves.

Tony whistled as he waited, tapping his foot to a song stuck in his head. He wasn’t the most patient person. 

“And why should we? Do you really plan on ripping us off again?” One of the Vishanti members asked. Tony raised an eyebrow and scanned the group for whoever said that. The woman had her arms crossed and brows furrowed. Her entire stance screamed ‘Take one step closer and I’ll shoot you.’

“Blame it on the math, sweetheart. Didn’t have to blow our shit up because someone forgot how to add.” That didn’t help. 

The woman let out a frustrated growl. She turned towards one of the members and muttered something. More whispering and glares.

“Alright, well, this isn’t going as planned,” Tony sighed loudly. He turned away and waited for some sort of protest. Nothing. Huh. 

Tony snapped his fingers. A couple of his members ran towards the Vishanti and began fighting the top members. He walked back and leaned against the fence, watching the fight commence. Their guys were good, but so were his. His eyes trailed over to where Stephens stood.

The poor man was crowded by a few people, whispering harshly to him. Stephen kept glancing over to Tony, eyes full of fear and remorse. Tony thought it was just because of the fight until one of the members directed a hand at Tony and gave him a glance before returning his eyes to Stephen. _ Shit. _

Stephen took his sweater off and began unbuttoning his shirt until he was only left with a white t-shirt. He took a deep breath and began making his way to Tony with wide strides. 

Rhodey took a step forward but Tony put a hand on his shoulder, “Wait- this one’s mine. I’ll tell you later.” Tony let out a heavy sigh and ruffled his hair. “Don’t let anyone interfere.”

Rhodey gave Stephen an unsure glance before nodding with confidence. “Don’t let him get away, Tones.” 

Tony grinned at his best friend before striding towards Stephen. Stephen whispered something that looked like an ‘I’m sorry’. Tony gave him an apologetic look.

Tony took a few quick steps forwards and pull fist back before swinging it towards the other man. His fist collided with Stephen’s left eye. Stephen stumbled down but grabbed the strap of Tony’s tank top for some sort of purchase. Both men stumbled to the ground. 

“Sorry, Doll,” Tony mumbled lowly to Stephen before jumping up from the ground as if nothing had ever happened. 

“Seriously?” Tony let out a cold laugh and put a foot on the base of Stephen’s back to keep him on the ground. “Is this the best you’ve got?” 

Tony looked from the leaders to the poor man on the ground. He lifted his foot from Stephen’s back only to bring it down harshly against his stomach in a swift kick. Stephen let out a pained gasped. Tony repeated the action a few times. 

“It’s really pathetic, y’know,” Tony kicked Stephen’s hip, “Next time you have a problem,” Tony reached under his tank top and pulled his pistol out. “You fucking talk to me about it!” Tony shouted and aimed his gun towards the ground. 

** _BANG_ **

The bullet ricocheted off the cement and hit dangerously close to one of the top members. Tony just watched them and raised his gun. 

“We clear?” Tony hissed and walked over Stephen’s still body. The man’s eyes were wide despite the amount of pain coursing through his body. A bruise was already forming around Stephen’s left eye. 

Another quick movement of the handgun had the Vishanti to agree and run out of the lot. The ones that had been fighting and on the ground were left behind- including Stephen. Once Tony dismissed the Iron League, he over to where Stephen was still laying. 

“Hey, asshole,” Tony said softly as he kneeled next to Stephen’s head. The bruise looked worse than when he last saw it. Stephen looked up at Tony and, despite his pain, gave Tony a small smile. 

“You’re a lot stronger than you look,” Stephen muttered and sat up with Tony’s careful help. Tony glanced over Stephen’s shoulder where Rhodey stood a few feet behind. Rhodey raised an eyebrow and smirked, turning around to give them some privacy.

“Why d’ya say that?” Tony asked as he took stock of Stephen’s injuries.

“You’re compact.” 

Tony let out an offended scoff. “Compact?!” 

Stephen let out a small laughed and nodded, “Yeah. You’re short and full of rage.” 

Tony huffed and pushed Stephen away, trying his best not to smile. The man’s laugh rang in his ears and Tony couldn’t help but join in.

**Author's Note:**

> Edit: I forgot to put in what the Polaris words were so  
Lallies: legs  
Dolly: pretty (can be used as a name for someone)  
Thews: thighs  
Troll: walking about (looking for trade)  
Trade: sex


End file.
